I write many emails that could be blog posts… some can’t really be shared outside of work but this one (with slight modifications can).

There will always be sites students can access to distract themselves from ‘work’. Seeking them all out to block would be a full time job. Blocking sites should be a last resort and only employed if accessing the site is causing real problems in terms of students disrupting other students in the lab/library or causing lack of access for students who do have work to do. This whole issue is a matter of ethics and personal responsibility. These important values are not taught through blocking sites. Blocking the ‘most hot’ one might send a signal which is helpful, but beyond that it is a slippery slope.

The key factor here is how one students use of the computer affects the overall learning environment rather than the student distracting themselves from what they ’should be doing’. After all, we all need a distraction every now and again. To draw an analogy: one would not object to students chatting quietly in the library with each other about non school work; or even to students quietly playing chess quietly. It would be a problem if the students began to talk or play loudly. Not all may agree with this analogy but I personally feel it is quite apt and I’m happy to continue this conversation.